NALCHIK, Russia — A court in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria has given a suspended two-year prison sentence to an activist who has no hands after finding him guilty of attacking police.
The city court in Kabardino-Balkaria’s capital, Nalchik, convicted and sentenced Aslan Iritov, the leader of Volny Aul (Free Village) rights organization, on September 2.
Iritov had pleaded not guilty and rejects the charge.
The probe against the activist was launched in 2017 after he resisted police officers who came to his house on the eve of a protest rally.
After a struggle, investigators accused Iritov of head-butting one police officer and attempting to strangle another.
A probe was also launched against several of the police officers involved after medical examinations revealed that Iritov’s wife, daughter, and brother, who tried to stop the brawl, sustained serious injuries during the incident.
